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Submitted to: Prof. Tarun Gupta, 13 March 2009 | Emotional Branding Paper

Is ‘Sell-ebrity’ Marketing
= Emotional Branding?

ARKAPRABHA SIRCAR
MBA Core II Year – Marketing

Roll # 245 – Division C

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai

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Contents:

Slno Topic Page #

1.0 Introduction 3

2.0 Literature Review

2.1 Who is a Celebrity? 5

2.2 Celebrity Marketing 6

2.2.1 Why Celebrity Marketing? 8

2.2.2 Celebs Sell 23

2.2.3 Celebrity Marketing and Emotional Connect 29

3.0 Hypothesis 32

4.0 Research Methodology 33

5.0 Analysis and Insights 35

6.0 Conclusion 42

Annexure 1: Sample Questionnaire 43

Annexure 2: Survey Results 51

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1.0 Introduction:

“Branding is not only about ubiquity, visibility, and functions; it is about bonding emotionally

with people in their daily life. Only when a product or a service kindles an emotional dialogue

with a consumer, can this product or service qualify to be a brand.” – Joel Desgrippes1

In his book, ‘The Marketing Power of Emotion’, John O'Shaughnessy2 says: “Emotion is one of

the defining forces in our lives. It lies at the very heart of many of our most important

experiences and memories. Not surprisingly, the worlds of business and marketing have long

drawn on the power of emotion to influence consumer impulses and brand loyalty.”

Emotion is perhaps the most discussed aspect of humanity, it is described as our greatest and

our worst feature. It inspires everything we do. Thus it is but natural that consumers do not

make purely logical/rational decisions. At least a large component of why consumers make the

choices that they do is rooted in the right side of the brain which has little to do with what is

rational or logical but rather with do with feelings and emotions. Brand development and brand

positioning that fails to recognize the importance of how a brand makes its users feel is unlikely

to succeed. 3 Therefore branding becomes a blend of art and science, emotion and logic, the

tangible and intangible.

In their book, ‘Emotional Branding’, Marc Gobé and Sergio Zyman write: “Emotional branding

brings a new layer of credibility and personality to a brand by connecting powerfully with people

1
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ty0Bl2ZYsZMC&dq=emotional+branding&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl
=en&ei=_724SfK0IJLnkAW11eXhBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPR13,M1
2
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=gj3IB0cU7_UC&pg=PA181&lpg=PA181&dq=is+celebrity+marketing+emotinal
&source=web&ots=JrrXVTHDIy&sig=ihBF6Ud8I6WgbATjouE5cnmm7UE&hl=en&ei=LoabScveE5js6QOdnYXRAw&sa
=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result
3
http://www.brandchasm.com/content/emotional.asp

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on a personal and holistic level. Emotional branding is based on that unique trust that is

established with an audience.” Clearly, if marketers ignore the emotional component of a

brand, they do so at their own peril.

But what exactly is meant by “emotional” – Gobé and Zyman explain that by emotional, they

mean how a brand engages consumers on the level of senses and emotions; how a brand

comes to life for people and forges a deeper, lasting connection. This means that understanding

people’s emotional needs and desires is really, now more than ever, the key to success.

One way of developing such an emotional connect with a brand is by using celebrity marketing

– or is it? This research paper aims to discover whether celebrity marketing is a part of the

emotional branding process.

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2.0 Literature Review

2.1 Who is a Celebrity?

"A sign of a celebrity is that his name is often worth more than his services.” - Daniel J Boorstin

That film stars and cricketers are treated like gods in India is well known. Examples of this

fanatical hero worship can be seen with temples being dedicated to Amitabh Bachchan in

Kolkata (built in the 1970s) and MS Dhoni in Ranchi (proposed). Popular myths that pervade the

minds of the population include: ‘In Bollywood, only Sex and SRK sell’ and ‘Cricket is our religion

and Sachin is our God’.

Figure 1: Cricket – Answer to a truly secular India?

A celebrity is defined as "an individual who is known to the public (i.e., actor, sports figure,

entertainer, etc.) for his or her achievements in areas other than that of the product class

endorsed" (cf., Friedman and Friedman 1979). Although previous studies have found these

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individuals to be likeable and/or attractive, these favorable perceptions have not consistently

carried over to enhance measures of believability and purchase intention.

The biggest celebrities in India are silver screen matinee idols and cricketers and thus in this

research paper, I have defined a celebrity generically as a movie star / cricketer.

2.2 Celebrity Marketing:

Philip Kotler (the arguably the doyen of Marketing) writes in his Bible of marketing, “Marketing

Management” (12th Edition): “Celebrity marketing is a major business. Today, every major film

star has an agent, a personal manager, and ties to a public relations agency. Artists, musicians,

CEOs, physicians, high-profile lawyers and financiers, and other professionals are also getting

help from celebrity marketers. A beloved celebrity endorser, attractive packaging, or an

appealing promotion all might tip the balance in favor of the brand… A well-chosen celebrity

endorsement can catapult even the most unlikely product to stardom.” Little surprise that Coca-

Cola, the most ubiquitous brand in history hired the company's first celebrity, music hall

performer Hilda Clark, in the 1890s!

The International Dictionary of Marketing defines (Celebrity) Endorsement as: “Endorsement: A

statement by a personality or celebrity, showing a preference for a product or service being

advertised or promoted. In press advertising and print, the endorsing celebrity is usually shown

and named. In television advertising, the endorser is often the main presenter, sometimes

actually speaking the promotional copy, either to camera or as a voice-over. It follows that an

endorsing celebrity should be known to the target audience, or at least famous for some activity

connected with the product.”

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In his book, “The Advanced Dictionary of Marketing”, Scott G. Dacko explains: “Celebrities, or

well-know individuals, can be used in a firm’s marketing efforts in many ways. Celebrity

Marketing, or celebrity endorsement more specifically, provides a marketer with an alternative

to marketing involving the communication of emotional and/or logical appeals in the mass

media. Since a firm has no real control over a celebrity’s future status or perception, however,

the marketer must give careful consideration to how and to what extent changes in the

celebrity’s public perceptions may positively or negatively, influence the effective marketing of

the firm’s offerings.”

Today, in India, the use of celebrities as part of marketing communication strategy is a fairly

common practice for major firms in supporting corporate or brand imagery. Saurabh Katal

traces the evolution of Celebrity Endorsement in India in his article titled “Impact of Celebrity

Endorsements on a Brand”4: “The latter part of the 1980s saw the burgeoning of a new trend in

India – brands started being endorsed by celebrities. Hindi film and TV stars as well as

sportspersons were roped in to endorse prominent brands. Advertisements, featuring stars like

Tabassum (Prestige pressure cookers), Jalal Agha (Pan Parag), Kapil Dev (Palmolive Shaving

Cream) and Sunil Gavaskar (Dinesh Suitings) became common. Probably, the first ad to cash in

on star power in a strategic, long-term, mission statement kind of way was Lux soap. This brand

has, perhaps as a result of this, been among the top three in the country for much of its

lifetime.”

4
http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles/Celebrity-endorsement.asp

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2.2.1 Why Celebrity Marketing?

In his article, “Star Struck”, Manoj Khatri5 writes about the ‘powerful effect of celebrities on the

destinies of brands’ and says: “One approving nod from a famous face can translate into

millions in brand sales. Perhaps that’s why world over, companies have been using stars to

endorse everything, from food to food chains, from soft and hard drinks to health drinks, from

clothes to accessories to cars (and the tyres on which they run). Even political parties are

awestruck by the charisma of the stars.”

Two main reasons why advertisers turn to celebrities for peddling their products are6:

to increase the credibility of the brand

to catch the attention of the target audience by increasing attractiveness of their

advertisement.

George E Belch and Michael E Belch explain this in their book, “Advertising and Promotion – An

Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective”: “Advertisers recognize the value of using

spokespeople who are admired: TV and movie stars, athletes, musicians, and other popular

public figures. It is estimated that nearly 20% of all TV commercials feature celebrities, and

advertisers pay hundreds of millions of dollars for their services. The top celebrity endorser is

golfer Tiger Woods, who makes more than $60 million a year from endorsement contracts with

Nike, Disney, American Express, General Mills, and Buick. Michael Jordan is also among the

5
Strategic Marketing Magazine, May – June 2008, Vol III Issue III
6
Impact of Celebrity Endorsements on Overall Brand - Sohag Sarkar,
http://www.coolavenues.com/know/mktg/sohag_sarkar1.php

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highest-paid and most sought-after celebrity endorsers, along with singer Britney Spears and

cyclist Lance Armstrong. (see pictures below)

Why do companies spend huge sums to have celebrities appear in their ads and endorse their

products? They think celebrities have stopping power. That is, they draw attention to

advertising messages in a very cluttered media environment. Marketers think a popular

celebrity will favorably influence consumers’ feelings, attitudes, and purchase behavior. And

they believe celebrities can enhance the target audience’s perceptions of the product in terms of

image and/or performance. For example, a well known athlete may convince potential buyers

that the product will enhance their own performance.”

Subhash C Jain also highlights the following in his book, “Marketing Strategy and Planning”: “An

advertisement may show a celebrity recommending the use of a product. It is hoped that this

endorsement will help give the ad additional credibility, credibility that will be reflected in higher

sales. Research on the subject has shown that an initially credible source, such as Miss America

claiming to use a certain brand of hair spray, is more effective in changing the opinion of an

audience than if a similar claim is made by a lesser known source, such as an unknown

homemaker. However, as time passes, the audience tends to forget the source or to dissociate

the source from the message.”

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Thus celebrity marketing aims to affect consumers' attitude towards their brand. Attitudes are

one of the most heavily studied concepts in consumer behavior. According to Gordon Allport’s

classic definition, “attitudes are learned predispositions to respond to an object.”

The caveat is, however, celebrity endorsement can be a goldmine or a minefield for a

company's brand building process7. There have been extensive studies relating to the process

of celebrity endorsement and brand-building and has attracted immense debate on whether it

really contributes to the brand building process or whether it is the ‘easy way out’ to win

consumer mindspace. These studies indicate that celebrity endorsement has worked well in

some consumer segments while failing in others. But certain celebrities have been more

successful than their counterparts with almost similar attractiveness – for instance what makes

Sachin Tendulkar or MS Dhoni more popular endorsers than Virender Sehwag?

In their paper titled “Impact of Celebrity Endorsement on Overall Brand”, Sanyukta A. Kulkarni

and Sahir U. Gaulkar8 note: “Although it has been observed that the presence of a well-known

personality helps in solving the problem of over-communication that is becoming more

prominent these days, there are few undesirable impacts of this practice on the brand. The

theories like 'Source Credibility Theory, Source Attractiveness Theory and Meaning Transfer

Theory' provide a basis on which the methodology of celebrity endorsement works and also

explains how the process of the celebrity endorsement influences the minds of the consumers.

Firms invest huge amounts as advertising expenditure for hiring the right celebrity. However

there lies uncertainty with respect to the returns that the company might be able to garner for

7
Impact of Celebrity Endorsements on Overall Brand - Sohag Sarkar,
http://www.coolavenues.com/know/mktg/sohag_sarkar1.php
8
http://www.indianmba.com/Occasional_Papers/OP88/op88.html

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the brand. The issue of matching the values of the celebrity with the brand values is also very

important, i.e. getting the right celebrity to endorse the right brand. Consumers perceive the

brand as having superior quality because it has been endorsed by a credible source. This makes

endorsement as one of the indictors of quality for any brand. Corporate credibility along with

endorser credibility plays a significant role in the attitude of the consumer towards the brand

and the advertisement respectively. On the other hand, the over popularity of the celebrity

sometimes overshadows the brand. If the celebrity is involved in multiple endorsements, it tends

to create confusion among consumers and hence negatively affects the perception of the

advertisement and the brand. Hence, to say clearly whether the practice of celebrity

endorsement impacts positively or negatively to the brand still remains a debate.”

In her paper titled “Emotion in Advertising Builds Enduring Bond with Consumers”, Anurekha

Thiyagu9 points out that: “The increasing clutter in the advertising landscape has forced

advertisers to work harder than ever just to be heard. Consumers can only attend to a small

amount of information at a given time, so a single ad must compete with hundreds of other

messages for consumers’ limited attention. Furthermore, consumers are so used to being

bombarded with advertising messages that they have developed effective mechanisms for

ignoring the ads that are not of interest to them. Despite these setbacks, advertisers try to

capture consumers’ attention by being unique, which often means being as different as possible

from other ads in the media. Trying to be “different” can lead to ads that are provocative, highly

creative, or just plain confusing. As advertisers seek new ways to make their ads stand out and

be noticed, they engage in lot of innovative strategies.

9
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1162650

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In today’s changing socioeconomic scenario, an emotional association has to be produced

between the product and the customer, and many companies are resolved to strike all crucial

emotional notes with the customers. However, this marketing trend is also being propelled in

part by a shift in consumer’s expectations. Forward-thinking companies are endeavoring to go

that extra mile and engage the public.”

Celebrity Marketing is perhaps a good way of engaging the public. Consider the following:

(i) The Forbes Magazine in March 2001 published an article that said (aimed at the American

reader): “You've probably never heard of Amitabh Bachchan, known as Big B in India, but when

the BBC last year conducted a poll on its Web site to select a "Star of the Millennium," he easily

beat out Charlie Chaplin and Marlon Brando to run off with the title.

It may also surprise you to know that the Indian film industry, centered in an area of Bombay

known as Bollywood, produces more films per year than any other country in the world. With

between 800 films and 900 films hitting the screen every year, these movies are a cinematic

staple throughout Asia but are relatively unknown to audiences in the U.S.

Figure 2: Lord and Master? (L) Amitabh Bachchan played the role of “God” in a 2008 film
(R) Fans proclaiming Amitabh Bachchan to be the “God of our times”

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While India's biggest celebrity actors are treated like royalty by an adoring public, they are also

the subject of the kind of media gossip that would make a National Enquirer reporter blush.”

That year Amitabh Bachchan made it to # 58 on the Forbes ‘100 most powerful’ celebrities list –

“Celebrity 100” in the world. The Celebrity 100 measures power, which boils down to two

components: money and fame.10

___________
[For 2008-09, US talk show diva Oprah Winfrey was ranked the world's most powerful celebrity for the

second year running in a new survey published by Forbes magazine. The top ranking was based on income

over the past 12 months as well as web references, press clippings, broadcast mentions and major

magazine covers devoted to the celebrity.]

(ii) The International Herald Tribune (07/12/2006) carried an article11 titled “Letter from India:

India's top marketing tool? Two middle-aged Bollywood stars” which noted: “The two actors

(Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan) are megastars on a level unmatched by their rivals.

No one bothers with their full names - they are the Big B and King Khan. While the fortunes of

most of their peers in Bollywood flare and wane according to their latest films, these two have

an enduring appeal, impervious to the occasional cinematic flop. Despite their age difference,

what unites Khan and Bachchan is their supreme ability to sell anything. More than mere

Bollywood heroes, they are gods of the marketing world. Both have become walking billboards,

and between them, they represent a prized gateway to the sought-after middle-class Indian

spender.

10
http://www.forbes.com/2001/03/09/0309bollywood.html
11
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/07/news/letter.php

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Figure 3: Deep Emotional Connect
Fans pray for Amitabh Bachchan’s quick recovery from a recent illness

Advertisers describe Bachchan as "India's most salable face." On top of filming nine movies, last

year he advertised everything from Pepsi, pens, hair oil, diamonds, suits, bank accounts,

chocolate, antiseptic cream, batteries, diet supplements and real estate, to washing powder.

These contracts took his annual income to an estimated 190 million rupees, or about $4 million.

Figure 3: Shah Rukh Khan: The Badshaah brand


SRK has sold 'em all from fairness creams to Tag Heuer watches. SRK was the only man to have
appeared in a LUX ad earlier. This year, he took metrosexuality to a new high by endorsing a
men's fairness cream.

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In perplexing ad-speak, Khan is "diamond" to Bachchan's "gold dust." Khan's list of

endorsements is growing rapidly - embracing Pepsi, as well as Tag Heuer watches, motorbikes,

cellphones, whiskey, suits, Sunfeast Dream Cream Biscuits, Top Ramen Curry Smoodles and

Frooti drinks - inflating his earnings to approximately 130 million rupees. In 2005, he advertised

a total of 21 brands on television. (Please see the figure above.)

"Advertisers go for one or the other. They are always looking for ways to talk to India's middle

classes, and they fall over each other to get them to sign up," said Amit Agnihotri, co-founder of

Exchange4Media, a media analysis company. "Both these men are able to connect across

gender, across generation, across the whole nation. Only the cricketer Sachin Tendulkar comes

close to being able to do that."

Bachchan's allure stems from his ability to transform himself as the nation changes - switching

from playing angry-young-man roles in the 1970s (at a time when his contemporaries were

feeling frustrated at the lack of opportunities in a bureaucratic nation, with a closed economy)

to exemplifying a comfortable older generation of middle-class Indians, someone who has

worked hard to succeed in the new climate of a reformed India.

Ashwani Singla, chief executive of the public relations company Genesis Burson-Marsteller,

which signed up both men to promote Pepsi, said: "Bachchan represents the aspirations of a

generation. He has gone from being a rebel with a cause, to being someone suave and

sophisticated, who is thriving in the new economy.” Khan's charm is that of a MTV kid who has

grown up into a devoted husband and father. Both men lay heavy emphasis on their

commitment to family life.”

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(iii) In his article, “India: where a movie star is more than a movie star”12, Alexander Zaitchik

reported: “Following the death by heart attack of the south Indian film icon known as Rajkumar,

grieving fans shut down the nation’s knowledge capital. Bangalore’s streets, usually imagined

as paved with hi-tech gold, were on 12 and 13 April turned into a stage for tear gas, gunfire,

burning cars and bloody street clashes between police and 60,000 of Rajkumar’s supporters. The

final body count: eight, including a young policeman killed and strung up by outraged fans

attempting to gain entry into their hero’s funeral.” This news piece goes to prove the fanatical

following some filmstars command – even in their death!

In the article, Zaitchik mentioned the views of Amit S Rai, a professor of cultural studies at the

University of Florida and Dr. Rachel Dwyer, author of Filming the Gods: Religion and Hindu

Cinema in a bid to explain this deep emotional connect of Indians with their favourite film stars.

In Mr. Rai’s opinion: “Being a fan is a vehicle for asserting an identity. The Indian film star is a

nexus of political, economic and social forces that are in a state of radical flux. Events

surrounding the star’s life or death easily flow from site to site, or from meaning to meaning.”

Dr. Dwyer believes Hinduism (the most widely followed religion in India) is particularly suited to

generating intense attachment to stars. “There is a tradition of worshiping people in India. The

guru, the deceased family member, the cricket player. There is no problem worshipping people

in Hinduism.” Dwyer points to the concept of darshan, or ‘looking’ as an integral aspect of

Hindu worship as a possible explanation for such extreme hero worship. ‘People go into a

12
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/214/

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temple and “take sight” of the gods, and “give sight” in return’, she says. ‘There are parallels

with how we experience cinema.’

(iv) In fact, one can hardly go through an hour in India without seeing an image, an

advertisement or a video of an Indian cricketer trying to sell you a product 13. In April 2007, the

India Today14 reported: “The last one year has seen cricket stars dominating advertising

mindshare on TV and mega bucks going into advertising on cricket properties on TV. According

to a recent study, sportspersons had the maximum, 58 per cent share in celebrity-endorsed

advertising on TV in 2006 with new kids like Mahendra Singh Dhoni hogging the limelight with

15 brands in his endorsement basket. Even though he is a junior player, Dhoni gets a retainer fee

of Rs 30 lakh per annum from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as a B-Grade

player. In 2006, even an introvert Rahul Dravid endorsed 12 brands, appeared in 22 creatives

and got 6,48,637 secondages on TV.

Figure 4: “Cricket’s Everywhere In India”

13
http://in.news.yahoo.com/32/20090318/1073/tsp-sachin-joins-save-tiger-campaign.html
14
http://archives.digitaltoday.in/indiatoday/20070416/business.html

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From being a religion, cricket in India has become a Rs 1,500-crore business and riding this wave

are cricketers. In the run-up to the ICC World Cup, while other teams were strategising and

focusing on the crucial championship, the calendars of the Indian squad were choc-a-bloc with

endorsement appointments. From launching colas to jerseys, the Indian team was seen mostly

at brand promotion events.

… With cricket being the only sport in India, corporates have been betting more and more

money on players. It is estimated that about Rs 370 crore was directly riding on these men

through advertising spots that media buying agencies bought on behalf of their clients from

Sony Entertainment. TV has converted cricket from a sport into a business opportunity. As

cable and satellite penetration touches 100 million in India, this is the only sport that delivers

the Indian audience to marketers.

With 105 million cable TV homes in India, which add up to 500 million viewers, no marketer

worth his salt can ignore a cricket-crazed country. The revenues from the icc World Cup show

how the game has increasingly been monetised by TV rights. Nimbus paid $550,000 (Rs 2.5

crore) for the rights for the 1992 World Cup and clocked revenues of $2.5 million (Rs 11 crore).

At that time, India contributed 20 per cent to the total revenues. The current World Cup’s

revenues tentatively stand at $300 million (Rs 1,300 crore) and India’s contribution is 65 per

cent. Besides the rise in revenue, the number of sponsors has also gone up to 12, against eight

and four in the 2003 and 1999 world cups, respectively. With cricket delivering ratings of 8

points, consumer companies have been chasing these eyeballs by both using cricket stars as

ambassadors and buying ad spots for leading global cricket tournaments.

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Having burnt their fingers once, marketers will certainly review their practice of using cricket as

an ad opportunity.”

This article appeared in the magazine following Team India’s first round exit the Cricket World

Cup in 2007. This was amongst the severe backlash for the team from the general public and

media. This goes to show the extent of emotional connect India has with its cricketers.

Anirban Das Blah of GloboSport, a sports marketing and talent management firm which

manages cricketers Dinesh Karthik and Zaheer Khan, says: “Indians have a volatile relationship

with cricketers, which is why we are not big on cricket as it is a risky proposition.”

(iii) In September 2007, celebrity management and communications major Percept Holdings

sought make India’s cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni an offer that he had “never heard of

before” according to the company’s joint managing director Shailendra Singh. “He’s a youth

icon, India is poised to be the youngest nation, 90% of television commercials are targeted at

the youth…He’s hot property,” Singh said.15

So what it about Mahendra Singh Dhoni that attracts brands like moths to a flame? 16 The

cricket sensation is believed to be the most cool-headed, consistent player in the Indian cricket

team, and wherever he goes, brands follow. Today, Dhoni or ‘Mahi’, as he is fondly called,

endorses some 17 brands (such as Big Bazaar, Brylcreem (Godrej Sara Lee), Boost (Glaxo

SmithKline Beecham), Dainik Bhaskar, Exide Industries, Godrej-Hershey’s, Lafarge Cement,

15
http://www.livemint.com/2007/09/19001258/Percept-says-Dhoni-hot-propert.html
16
http://spoonfeedin.blogspot.com/2008/09/mktg-brand-dhoni.html

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NDTV, Orient PSPO, Parle, Pepsi, Reebok, Royal Stage, Sonata, Siyaram’s, TVS and Videocon)

and many more deals are under way.

Figure 5: MSD – Hot Property for Marketers

His small town beginnings and humility have held Dhoni in good stead. The fact that a boy from

a small town has grown to attain such star status makes him role model material. “His appeal

cuts across all age groups and demographics to speak to small towns as well as the metros,”

says Manish Aggarwal, business director, Insights, MindShare.

In fact, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has gone on to overtake Sachin Tendulkar as the highest paid

Indian cricketer in terms of endorsements - Dhoni now makes a whopping Rs. 3.5-5 crore per

year in endorsements only which is marginally better than Sachin who makes Rs. 3-4 crores

annually.17

(v) In February 2009 Madame Tussauds announced

that cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar will be the

latest sporting great to be featured at the

internationally-renowned wax museum in London

when a new wax figure of the Mumbai-born “Master

17
http://www.cricketfizz.com/cricketblog/dhoni-overtakes-sachin-as-the-highest-paid-in-the-endorsement-field

Page 20 of 70
Blaster” (see picture alongside: ‘Tendulkar has sat with the world famous museum who took

over 200 measurements’) joined the A-list line up in April 2009. Tendulkar follows in the famous

footsteps of Bollywood greats Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman

Khan and will join other cricket legends Brain Lara and Shane Warne (see pictures below) to

become the very first Indian sports personality to be portrayed. Tussauds’ waxworks are world

renowned for their lifelike realism. “We are delighted to confirm our next sporting superstar is

going to be Sachin Tendulkar; his achievements on the cricket pitch are phenomenal and he is

one of the biggest names in international sport,” said the museum.

But fanatical adulation is not something new for the “Little Master” (as

illustrated in the picture - right). It has even prompted Virgin Comics to

start a comic book series – “Master Blaster” – based on him in 200718 (see

picture - left). “He doesn't receive letters written in

blood any more, but Sachin Tendulkar says that he

does not feel comfortable when a fan touches his feet and tells him he is

God.” 19 Tendulkar, whose achievements with the bat have won him fans

worldwide, says the adulation never ceases to surprise him.

18
http://www.hindu.com/mp/2007/03/21/stories/2007032100050100.htm
19
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/no-letters-in-blood-but-fans-still-touch-feet-sachin/425606/

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In fact, The Daily Express in London recently reported

that supporters in Delhi commissioned artists to create

icons of Tendulkar as the monkey god Hanuman. The

works show him holding a bat instead of the more

traditional mace (as shown in the picture alongside).

“He is truly a god to millions of people who worship this

sport,” explained artist Gautam Bhatia20.

Figure 6: Sachin: Cricket's biggest brand?


Till Dhoni rose to prominence, Sachin Tendulkar was the hottest property in India's celebrity endorsement market,
making him the top money grosser in cricket history. "You've got to create heroes and you've got to pay them," said
Mark Mascarenhas of WorldTel back in 1995 after he made Sachin Tendulkar India's first multimillionaire
sportsperson. He was the most sought-after figurehead by every multi-national company entering India after the
country's market embraced the global economy. The range of products Tendulkar has endosed / endorses include a
luxury car, tyres, credit card, motorcycle, television, energy and soft drinks, shoes, insurance and financial services,
and biscuits (as illustrated above). Recently (December 2008) he became the face of Swiss watchmaker Audemars
Piguet also has Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello and actor Michelle Yeoh rooting for it internationally.

20
http://blogs.cricinfo.com/thebuzz/

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2.2.2 Celebs Sell!

Figure 7: Sell-ebrity!

Saurabh Katal21 in his article titled “Impact of Celebrity Endorsements on a Brand” says: “In the

Indian context, it would not be presumptuous to state that celebrity endorsements can

aggrandize the overall brand. We have numerous examples exemplifying this claim. A standard

example here is Coke, which, till recently, didn't use stars at all internationally. In fact, India was

a first for them. The result was a ubiquitously appealing Aamir cheekily stating Thanda matlab

Coca Cola.

Figure 8: Aamir Khan – “Thanda Matlab…”

The recall value for Nakshatra advertising is only due to the sensuous Aishwarya. The Parker pen

brand, which by itself commands equity, used Amitabh Bachchan to revitalize the brand in India.

21
http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles/Celebrity-endorsement.asp

Page 23 of 70
According to Pooja Jain, Director, Luxor Writing Instruments Ltd (LWIL), post Bachchan, Parker's

sales have increased by about 30%. India is one country, which has always idolized the stars of

the celluloid world. Therefore it makes tremendous sense for a brand to procure a celebrity for

its endorsement. In India there is an exponential potential for a celebrity endorsement to be

perceived as genuinely relevant, thereby motivating consumers to go in for the product. This

would especially prove true if the endorser and the category are a natural lifestyle fit like

sportspersons and footwear, Kapil-Sachin and Boost or film stars and beauty products.”

‘A partnership between a celebrity and a brand has an intangible sort of magic’22 but does it

make business sense? Apparently it does. As, Ray Moynihan notes in his article “The Intangible

Magic of Celebrity Marketing”, “…if the latest revelations from industry insiders are anything to

go by, their hefty investments in celebrity selling are well worth it.”

The cincher comes in the New York Times article “Nothing Sells Like Celebrity” (22/06/2008)

that pointed out: “… where the star ends and the product and pitch begin has grown less and

less discernible in the era of the human billboard.

…These days, it’s nearly impossible to surf the Internet, open a newspaper or magazine, or

watch television without seeing a celebrity selling something, whether it’s umbrellas, soda, cars,

phones, medications, cosmetics, jewelry, clothing or even mutual funds.

…over the last decade, corporate brands have increasingly turned to Hollywood celebrities and

musicians to sell their products. Stars showed up in nearly 14% of ads last year, according to

Millward Brown, a marketing research agency. While that number has more than doubled in the

22
Benshoshan, O. Celebrity public relations: An alternative to DTC. DTC Perspectives. 2003

Page 24 of 70
past decade, it is off from a peak of 19% in 2004. (It adds that Celebrities appear in 24% of the

ads in India)

“The reality is people want a piece of something they can’t be,” says Eli Portnoy, a branding

strategist. “They live vicariously through the products and services that those celebrities are tied

to. Years from now, our descendants may look at us and say, ‘God, these were the most gullible

people who ever lived.’ “

Newer forces are also propping up the celebrity-endorsement boom. Companies, trying to align

themselves ever closer to A-list stars (as well as B-listers, C-listers and reality TV

pseudocelebrities) and their quicksilver fame are constantly seeking new ways to merge the

already-blurry lines between the commercial and entertainment worlds.

Television programmers and music producers are particularly eager to play along as joint

marketing deals offer artists new ways to reach audiences while also defraying their own

marketing costs. Celebrities have also grown much more sophisticated about the structure and

payouts of endorsement deals.

With consumers facing so many choices these days, an emotional connection with a certain

celebrity may make the difference between whether a shopper’s hand stops over one product or

moves on to the competition. “As consumers, we see over 3,156 images a day. We’re just not

conscious of them,” says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst of the consumer research firm

NPD Group. “Our subconscious records maybe 150, and only 30 or so reach our conscious

behavior. If I have a celebrity as part of that message, I just accelerated the potential for my

product to reach the conscious of the consumer.

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Even savvy, skeptical consumers who understand that stars are paid to support a product may

still rely on an endorsement and buy the brand anyway, says Robert Cialdini, a professor of

psychology and marketing at Arizona State University.

“We’ve used our cognitive capacity to build a sophisticated informational and technological

environment,” he says. But overloaded with information and stimulation, shoppers’ brains

revert to a more primitive, raw association of celebrity and product, Mr. Cialdini explains.

Because a celebrity link may entice consumers, brands continue to use stars as the public face of

a corporate entity (Avon hired Reese Witherspoon to be its “global ambassador”); as emissaries

for new products; or as fresh faces to reinvigorate an aging product.”

In fact, according to Capital Advertising founder H.V. Subramaniam: "In the US, one of four

Television Commercials features a celebrity. In Hong Kong, eight out of the top 10 most recalled

ads used a celebrity. Studies show that celebrities in ads work the best when there is a

psychological risk in a product. A risk comes in the form of a product that defines one’s self

image. A celebrity takes that risk out of the equation. However, brand managers must

remember that a celebrity cannot make people buy an inferior product. That tactic can at best

only for people in the short term. A celebrity though can make consumers make better choices.

It is also important to show the celebrity with the product in a relevant, credible manner. This is

where the newer, smaller brands fail the test. There must also be synergy between the brand

and celebrity. If the brand is serious and mature and the celebrity is fun loving and comic the

communication will not work. In fact, there is the chance that viewers will remember the

celebrity and not the brand.”

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Therefore, for successfully employing Celebrity Marketing, a marketer needs to remember the

following basic ground rules:

Celebrity endorsements are impelled by virtue of the following motives:

1. Instant Brand Awareness and Recall.


2. Celebrity values define, and refresh the brand image.
3. Celebrities add new dimensions to the brand image.
4. Instant credibility or aspiration PR coverage.
5. Lack of ideas.
6. Convincing clients.

Certain parameters that postulate compatibility between the celebrity and brand image are:

1. Celebrity’s fit with the brand image.


2. Celebrity—Target audience match
3. Celebrity associated values.
4. Costs of acquiring the celebrity.
5. Celebrity—Product match.
6. Celebrity controversy risk.
7. Celebrity popularity.
8. Celebrity availability.
9. Celebrity physical attractiveness.
10. Celebrity credibility.
11. Celebrity prior endorsements.
12. Whether celebrity is a brand user.
13. Celebrity profession.

How does one decide whether to put a celebrity in an ad?

Page 27 of 70
Manoj Khatri23 says that “ideally it should be dictated by the communication idea”. MG

Parameswaran, Executive Director of FCB Ulka agrees with him and says, “As advertising

professionals, we recommend celebrity endorsements when the case is justified.” Md. Khan,

Chairman of Enterprise Nexus adds: “The important thing to remember is that putting a

celebrity in an ad is not an idea in itself.”

Six Uses of Celebrity Endorsements24:

•Approval of a brand by a star fosters a sense of


trust for that brand among the target audience -
Establishes Credibility this is especially true in the case of new products

•Celebrities ensure attention of the target group by


breaking the clutter of advertisements and making
Attracts Attention the ad and the brand more noticeable

•A celebrity's preferance for a brand gives our a


persuasive message - because the celebrity is
Associative Benefit benefitting from the brand, the consumer will also
benefit

•Stars are loved and adored by their fans and


advertisers use stars to capitalise on these feelings
Psychographic Connect to sway the fans towards their brands.

•Different stars appeal differently to various


demographic segments
Demographic Connect

•Some stars have a universal appeal and therefore


prove to be a good bet to generate interests
Mass Appeal amongst the masses

23
Strategic Marketing Magazine, May – June 2008, Vol III Issue III – “Star Struck”
24
Strategic Marketing Magazine, May – June 2008, Vol III Issue III – “Star Struck”

Page 28 of 70
When does Celebrity Marketing fail25?

•Associating a star, however big he or she may be does not guarentee


sales - the most it can do is to generate a buzz around the product
Improper Positioning •A classic example of this phenomenon is the Bachchans endorsing the
Maruti Versa

•If the celebrity used represents values that conflict with the brand
values and positioning
Brand - Celebrity Disconnect •For instance, use of Britney Spears to promote the Toyota Soluna Vios -
a family sedan!

•In recent times there has been such a deluge of celebrity


endorsements that it has led to the very clutter it aimed to break
Clutter Fluster •In India major celebrities like SRK or Dhoni endorse dozens of brands -
a case of too many brands and too few saleable celebrities.

•One cannot sell a sub par product just by making a celebrity endorse it.
Dissatisfaction with the product If anything, the product will fail even faster because the celebrity
quality / performance endorsing the product will create a buzz around it and more people
would come to know of its poor quality / performance.

•The use of celebrities can be confusing. Some people may forget / not
notice the brand the celebrity is endorsing!
Confusion / Sceptecism •In other cases, the viewer might not associate a celebrity with a mass
use product.

2.2.3 Celebrity Marketing and Emotional Connect:

In her article, “All New Rules of Celebrity Marketing”, Stacy Baker26 calls for the need for

creating an emotional connection with consumers using Celebrity Marketing. She says: “Most

of us are naturally drawn to celebrities, so the key isn't for the brand to generate that

connection, but more for it to choose the celebrity who "fits" with the image of the label. That fit

is based on how people see the celebrity, ie their movie roles, their image outside of movies,

affiliations, etc.

A recent psychological study by Satoshi Zanazawa in 'Evolution and Human Behaviour' claims

that our brains react to familiar television personalities in the same way they react to close
25
Strategic Marketing Magazine, May – June 2008, Vol III Issue III – “Star Struck”
26
http://www.just-style.com/article.aspx?id=92519&d=1

Page 29 of 70
friends. The frequency with which we see these individuals in the media engenders in us a

certain fondness, reasonably or not, and celebrity marketing makes the most of that. The

emotional connection is always there.

Ken Hirst, president of Hirst International points to Ashley Judd and her reputation as an All-

American being a great match for Estée Lauder's American Beauty, as well as Queen Latifah's

endorsement of VF Intimates' "Curvation" lingerie, which targets plus sizes. Sales increased to

"unprecedented" levels when her promotion of the line began. The fun, sexy, successful woman

she comes across as in entertainment was something that consumers hoped to channel into

themselves. He says that when you team up with celebs who are part of the society's culture,

there's a natural emotional connection.

"A well-chosen celebrity falls into one of two categories," he explains. "They can be hot right

now - in which case their career and media coverage are enough to keep their connection with

the public alive - or they can be celebrities who will never go out of style, whose connection with

the public was cemented years ago with a signature role or a billboard hit."

It doesn't take long to think of a dozen or so celebrity "greats" who fall into this category. Those

whose voice you recognise instantly or who created such a name for themselves they're never

off the radar: think Julia Roberts, Gene Hackman, Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep and many more.”

The emotional connect that celebrity marketing can seek to create is also the very basis for the

various risks associated with such endorsements. Fame is a fickle and fleeting companion can

ditch the famous at the slightest provocation. Celebrities, being human, can make mistakes. But

their mistakes get amplified many times over because of the attention that they garner. Thus

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companies have to make quick decisions when one of their endorsers is under fire or their own

image could be tarnished. 27

27
Strategic Marketing Magazine, May – June 2008, Vol III Issue III – “Star Struck”

Page 31 of 70
3.0 Hypothesis:

In their book, ‘Emotional Branding’, Marc Gobé and Sergio Zyman state: “Emotional Branding is

more than a process or research technique; it is based on the connections between people

that transcend charts and graphs.” Celebrity Marketing too is based upon connecting with

people. But is Celebrity Marketing = Emotional Branding?

Page 32 of 70
4.0 Research Methodology

The research was conducted through both secondary research (presented above in the

Literature Review) and primary research.

For the primary research, an online structured questionnaire

(comprising of 42 questions) was used. (Please see Annexure 1 to

peruse a sample questionnaire.) The survey was hosted on Google Docs and the following link:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cFZoSElNelVfeWVMV1ctajdIT19BU0E6MA.. was e-mailed to over

150 peopled.

The survey generated 74 responses which were then analyzed using SPSS 13 and the descriptive

statistics determined. (Please see Annexure 2 for detailed results of the survey.)

The sampling technique used was simple random sampling. The Cronbach’s Alpha value28

(measure of reliability) was found to be 0.691 as shown below:

Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's
Alpha N of Items
.691 7

28
Cronbach's alpha is a measure of reliability. More specifically, alpha is a lower bound for the true reliability of
the survey. Mathematically, reliability is defined as the proportion of the variability in the responses to the survey
that is the result of differences in the respondents. That is, answers to a reliable survey will differ because
respondents have different opinions, not because the survey is confusing or has multiple interpretations. The
computation of Cronbach's alpha is based on the number of items on the survey (k) and the ratio of the average
inter-item covariance to the average item variance.

Cronbach’s ranges from 0 (zero internal consistency) to 1 (perfect internal consistency); a negative alpha
coefficient indicates that items of the scale are negatively correlated and that an inappropriate reliability model is
being used. By convention, a “lenient” cut-off of .60 is common in exploratory research; alpha should be at least
.70 or higher to retain an item in an “adequate” scale; and many researchers require a cut-off of .80 for a “good
scale”.

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Since the alpha value in the present case is > .60, we can say that the reliability of the data is

adequate.

 Limitations: The survey has certain limitations with respect to the responses of the

respondents considered in the survey. Firstly, the survey was conducted online and thus was

largely impersonal. Moreover, the sample size considered was 74 due to constraints of time

and resources. The sample size, as a result, may not be truly reflective of the entire universe.

Page 34 of 70
5.0 Analysis and Insights:

Demographic Profile: Most of the respondents were in the age group 21 – 30 years (73%);

males respondents outnumbered females by nearly 2:1 ratio; the responses mainly came from

students (56%) and working people (37%); the majority of the respondents were from Mumbai

(33%) and Kolkata (30%).

1. Cricket Crazy or Movie Maniacs?

About 56% of the respondents said that they followed the Indian cricket team whereas 14%

replied in the negative. In comparison, a whopping 86% said that they watched films with only

14% responding with an ambiguous “Sometimes”. This clearly goes to show that the silver

screen holds more allure than the cricket greens for the Indian public; and thus it comes as no

surprise that the respondents believe that Shah Rukh Khan (33%) and Amitabh Bachchan (25%)

are the most popular celebrities in India ahead of Sachin Tendulkar (19%) and MS Dhoni (7%).

This corroborates the findings of the secondary research that says that these film stars are the

most “saleable” faces in India. It is further proved by the fact that even

in the home of cricket - England, Bollywood made its debut with the

‘Big B’, ‘King Khan’, ‘Miss World’ and Salman ahead of the ‘Little

Master’ at Madam Tussauds.

Figure 9: (L) Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan – The Most Popular Celebrities in India
(R) Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni – The Most Popular Cricketers in India

Page 35 of 70
Amongst the cricket enthusiasts, T20, the current flavour of the season is the most popular

version (51%) and Sachin Tendulkar (34%) and MS Dhoni (31%) are the most favourite

cricketers. This is probably why they command the highest number of endorsement deals as

discussed earlier in the Literature Review.

The film buffs prefer watching Hollywood movies (55%) ahead of desi Bollywood flicks (42%).

Perhaps this is a reason why most respondents chose an international celebrity (28%) as their

favourite celebrity ahead of the usual suspects – Shah Rukh Khan (13%), Sachin Tendulkar

(10%), Aamir Khan (10%) and Amitabh Bachchan (6%). This also goes to show the allure power

of international celebrities.

Amongst the movie stars, Aamir “Ghajini” Khan (25%) edged out Shah Rukh “Billu” Khan (21%)

and Amitabh “?” Bachchan (10%) as the favourite Hindi Film Star of the respondents. (Perhaps

the folks at Filmfare had a look at my data while compiling their “Power List”29) This also shows

how fickle fame and public memory can be as Aamir Khan possibly is riding on the crest of

success of his superhit movie – “Ghajini” whereas Shah Rukh Khan is laying low after much

sober returns from his latest – “Billu”. An interesting point to note is that Heroines do not

command as much star pull as the heroes from Bollywood

with less than 10% of respondents having named a heroine

as their favourite film star.

29
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Aamir-tops-Filmfare-Power-List/articleshow/4247770.cms: “Aamir
tops Filmfare Power List” – Times of India - 10 Mar 2009 – “You're only as big as your last hit, right? Perhaps that's
what explains how actor Aamir Khan, who was nowhere on the 2007 Filmfare Power List, is up there at No. 1 this
year. It must have something to do with the Rs 265 crore (gross) that his film 'Ghajini' earned worldwide, making it
the biggest hit in the history of Bollywood. Shah Rukh Khan remains entrenched at No. 2. Yash and Aditya Chopra,
for two years in a row, are down to No. 3, preceded by the two Khans — Aamir and Shah Rukh — who are now
eyed as the two power centres in filmnagari.”

Page 36 of 70
2. What gives Celebrities their star power?

Majority (47%) of the respondents agreed that their favourite celebrity is “just a great

sportsperson / actor / performer”.

51% said that if their favourite star is performing really well (for instance, their favourite

cricketer scores a century or their favourite movie star delivers a super hit movie), they would

“be happy that he is doing well”.

This goes to show that the adulation and the following a star commands is based solely on his

performance. Moreover, “brilliant” and “dynamic” as the most commonly used adjectives

associated by the respondents with their favourite celebrity, which also proves that

performance is the key to fame and fortune for celebrities.

3. Purely Emotional Connect with Cricket and Bollywood?

On a scale of 1 – 5 (where 1 = Die Hard Fan and 5 = Casual Fan), about 10% respondents judged

themselves to be Die Hard Fans and about 33% (majority) rated themselves as “2/5” i.e. close

to being “Die Hard” fans of their favourite celebrity. Thus the celeb-connect is undeniable.

Majority (42%) of the respondents said that they would watch a game even if their favourite

cricketer was not playing, though they would definitely miss watching him play; similarly most

respondents (49%) said that they would “understand” if their favourite cricketer is not

performing well in a match “because that is the very nature of the sport”. Interestingly, only

37% of the respondents said that they would go the stadium to watch their favourite cricketer

play.

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Figure 10: SRK and SRT – the faces of Bollywood and Cricket in India

Also, a majority (45%) of respondents said that they would “watch other movies” if their

favourite movie star did not have a movie releasing soon, but would hope that their favourite

star’s movie would release soon. However, most respondents (52%) said that when a movie of

their favourite movie star released, they were anxious to catch it as soon as they could.

Furthermore, most (28%) of the respondents said that they would only go to see a celebrity

coming for a promotional visit to their city if it was convenient for them (eg: it was a holiday or

they had passes to the event) while an equal number said that they would not go but would

read all about it in the newspapers.

These findings indicates that celeb-connect is not a purely emotional - there is also a certain

degree of rational judgment used by the public.

Page 38 of 70
4. Celebrity Endorsement:

The following are the key insights derived about celebrity endorsement:

92% of the respondents believed it was alright for their favourite celebrity to endorse

brands.

More than 80% of the respondents said that they would watch attentively if their favourite

cricketer or movie star is featured in an advertisement on television.

However, in a crowded market space like soft drinks, most viewers (33%) prefer the current

Sprite ad (shown below) to a Pepsi ad (25%) featuring a cricketer or a movie star – a case of

celebrity clutter perhaps.

But interestingly, when asked to name a product / service that the respondent liked and

was also endorsed by their favourite star, most (31%) named a soft drink brand! So perhaps

the celeb magic works subliminally. Also, Pepsi has recently discontinued using Sachin

Tendulkar and Shah Rukh Khan for its advertisements. But their association with the brand

in public memory is quite strong.

14% of the respondents believed that their favourite celebrity should endorse an apparel

brand, closely followed by 13% who said that their favourite celebrity should endorse

premium products and 12% who named a sports brand.

Page 39 of 70
5. Celeb or Brand Connect?

As illustrated earlier, the celeb-connect is undeniable. However, so is the brand connect of the

respondents with nearly 50% of the respondents claiming to be “loyal” to their favourite brand.

and said that their favourite brand was “more than just a product / service” to the. Most

respondents (more than 75%) agreed that their favourite brand was a “well known successful

brand”. But nearly 50% of the respondents agreed with the statement: “if my favourite brand is

not available, I would buy another brand of the same product / service category.” Thus we can

say that the brand connect too, is not purely emotional.

Though 61% of the respondents identified their favourite brand with their favourite celebrity, ,

only 14% of respondents said that they would buy a product / service just because their

favourite star endorsed it. Moreover, 75% agreed that they would still buy their favourite brand

even if their favourite celebrity did not endorse it and only 7% agreed that they would buy

some other brand in the same category if their favourite star started endorsing it. Thus brand

connect, perhaps, runs deeper than celeb connect.

6. So what does a celebrity do for a brand?

The answer may lie in the 41% who answered “maybe” to whether they would buy some other

brand in the same category if their favourite star started endorsing it. This goes to show that

celebrities have a pulling power to attract the attention of the public to the brand they

endorse. The cincher comes from the following – 51% of the respondents say that their

favourite star endorsing a brand makes it “stand out in the clutter / makes the brand different

Page 40 of 70
from other brands in the market” while about 29% agree that it’ “makes them emotionally

connect with the brand.”

Figure 11: Amul topical pictorials that offer a satirical social commentary often feature a
cricketer or a movie star – this proves how much social mind space these celebrities occupy

Page 41 of 70
6.0 Conclusion:

Emotional branding is about connecting with people. No one connects better with people than

celebrities with the star appeal and crowd pulling capacities. Thus, it is but obvious that brands

often use celebrities to draw the attention of the consumers. The research proves that

consumers agree that a celebrity endorsing a brand makes them sit up and take notice of the

brand. Celeb-connect can banked upon to generate the requisites eyeballs for an advertisement

and a buzz around a product.

However, celeb-connect does not ensure a purely emotional connect with a brand - for that the

brand has to live upto the expectations of the people. Moreover, once a brand develops an

emotional connect with the consumer, it perhaps overrides the celebrity connect i.e. a celebrity

endorsing another brand cannot guarantee to sway away a loyal customer of a brand to the

brand he is endorsing – at best he can grab the consumer’s attention and probably induce a

trial.

Emotional branding aims to appeal to the feelings of the consumer to generate brand connect;

and it is proven that the general public have deep feelings for celebrities and celebrity

marketing aims to leverage on these feelings to establish brand connect. Therefore, in

conclusion, one can say that celebrity marketing is indeed a form of emotional branding.

Page 42 of 70
Annexure 1: Sample Questionnaire

Celebrity Marketing Survey

Hi,

I am researching for a final term paper for my MBA and I really need your help. I assure assure you that this data
will remain confidential and used only for my academic project. I also would be very grateful if you could please
take some time out to take this survey.

Many Thanks!

Cheers
Arka

* Required

Name *

Aapka shubh naam?

Age *
Please choose from the list below

< 15 years

15 - 20 years

21 - 25 years

25 - 30 years

> 30 years

Gender *
Please choose from the list below

Male

Female

Occupation *
Please choose from the list below

Student

Service / Employed

Page 43 of 70
Self Employed

Business

Other

Location *

Please enter the name of your city / town

Do you follow the Indian Cricket Team? *


Please select Yes or No depending on whether you are a supporter of Dhoni's "Men in Blue"

Yes

No

Sometimes

What version of cricket do you like the best?


Short, sweet and explosive or Classic 5 day battle?

T20

One Day Internationals

Test Matches

Who is your favourite cricketer?

Preferably someone who is currently playing for Team India

Do you try and catch your favourite cricket star play at the STADIUM when cricket is played in your city? *
Please select Yes or No depending on whether you like to watch the game on TV or at the ground.

Yes

No

Do you like watching films? *


Please select Yes or No depending on whether you like to watch a story unfold on the silver screen

Yes

No

Page 44 of 70
Sometimes

What sort of movies do you prefer? *


Please select one of the following...

Bollywood Blockbusters

Hollywood Hits

Regional Cinema

Who is favourite Bollywood (Hindi Film) Star? *

Actor or Actress?

Whose poster or desktop wallpaper would you consider putting up? *


Choose the star whose picture would adorn your room or your computer desktop or even your mobile phone
screen!

Your Favourite Cricketer - named above

Your Favourite Movie Star - Name Above

Some Other Celbrity

None at all

Other:

Who is your favourite celebrity? *

My favourite celebrity (named above) is... *


Please Choose one of the following statements that you agree with the most:

The face of my generation.

Someone whom I look up to / admire and want to be like

A youth icon

Just a great sportsperson / actor / performer

Page 45 of 70
One word that describes your favourite CELEBRITY *

Please write the first word you think of when you think of your favourite Celebrity named earlier

Do you think it is alright for your favourite cricket star / filmstar to endorse brands? *

Yes

No

Which brand do you think should your favourite celebrity endorse? *

Name the one brand you think would ideally suit your favourite celebrity...

If your favourite star is performing really well , you… *


eg: cricketer scores a century or movie star acted brilliantly and the movie is a hit

Celebrate wildly (eg: burst crackers on the streets)

Are euphoric - very happy

Would like to tell anyone you meet about it

Are happy he is doing his job well – that’s it!

If your favourite cricketer is injured or unavailable for a match or series, would you still watch the match?
* Please choose your most likely reaction

Yes, it does not affect me since cricket is a team sport

Yes, but I would defintely miss watching him play

Yes, but my interest level would be lower

No, it is not worth watching a match if he doesn’t play

If your favourite cricketer is not performing well in a match, you… *


eg: got out for a low score or has been misfielding often or has been bowling poorly

Lament that he is distracted because he is “busy making advertisements”

Understand, because that is the very nature of sports

Offer advice to others watching the game with you on what the cricketer should be doing

You “swear” at the cricketer for his bad performance

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Stop watching the game

Don’t do anything – after all it is just a game

Don’t mind as long the team does well

If your favourite movie star does not have a movie releasing for a while, you… *
Please choose your most likely action…

Watch other movies – it makes no difference to you

Watch other movies – but hope his/her movie releases soon

Watch other movies – but follow all the news/gossip on your favourite movie star closely

Don’t watch movies featuring other movie stars

When a movie of your favourite movie star releases, you… *


Please choose your most likely response:

Don’t mind paying extra to watch it “first day first show” and urge others to watch it.

Are anxious to watch it as soon as you can

Read all the reviews and watch it only if it has got a good rating

Watch the movie more than once

If you come to know that your favourite celebrity is coming to your town for a promotional visit (eg: to
inaugurate a mall) , you would: *

Make it a point to go to the venue at any cost

Go to see the celebrity if you could (eg: go if it was a holiday or you got passes)

Don’t bother going – not worth the effort!

Don’t go but read all about it in the newspapers

Wish you could go...

If your favourite movie star’s latest release has associated merchandise for sale, would you buy it? *

Yes

No

Page 47 of 70
While watching TV, if your favourite cricketer or moviestar is featured in an advertisement do you watch it
attentively? *
Please choose Yes or No depending on whether you would watch the advertisement or switch channels!

Yes

No

Which of the following advertisements would you rather watch on Television? *


These are all advertisement of soft drinks

Ranbir Kapoor / Dhoni and other Team India stars in the latest Pepsi advertisement

Hrithik Roshan in a Coca Cola advertisement

Askhay Kumar in a Thums Up advertisement

A Sprite ad with no bakwaas

Fido in a 7 Up advertisement

Name a brand (any product / service) that you like that is also endorsed by your favourite star? *

This brand could be any product or service that features your favourite star in its advertisement

One word that describes your favourite brand *

Please write the first word you think of when you think of your favourite brand named above.

Do you consider yourself loyal to your favourite brand? *


Choose from 1 = very loyal to 5 = not loyal
1 2 3 4 5

Very Loyal Not Loyal

Would you consider buying a product just because your favourite star endorses it? *
For eg: Would you buy Pepsi and not Coca Cola or Thums Up as Dhoni - your favourite star - endorses it?

Yes

No

On a scale of 1 – 5, how much of a fan of your favourite star are you? *


Choose from 1 = diehard fan to 5 = casual fan
1 2 3 4 5

Die Hard Fan Casual

Page 48 of 70
"I would recommend my favourite brand to others" *
Please choose from 1 - "Strongly Agree", 2 - "Agree", 3 - "Neutral", 4 - "Disagree", 5 - "Strongly Disagree"
1 2 3 4 5

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

Would you buy some other brand in the same category if your favourite star started endorsing it? *
For eg: Would you buy Coca Cola and not Pepsi or Thums Up if Dhoni started endorsing Coca Cola?

Yes

No

Maybe

"If my favourite brand is not available, I would buy another brand of a same product / service category" *
- eg: If your favourite brand is Pepsi, you would / would not buy Coca Cola or Thums Up
Please choose from 1 - "Strongly Agree", 2 - "Agree", 3 - "Neutral", 4 - "Disagree", 5 - "Strongly Disagree"
1 2 3 4 5

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

"My favourite brand is more than just a product or service to me" *


Please choose from 1 - "Strongly Agree", 2 - "Agree", 3 - "Neutral", 4 - "Disagree", 5 - "Strongly Disagree"
1 2 3 4 5

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

My favourite brand is meant to be used by people like me" *


Please choose from 1 - "Strongly Agree", 2 - "Agree", 3 - "Neutral", 4 - "Disagree", 5 - "Strongly Disagree"
1 2 3 4 5

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

"My favourite brand is a well known successful brand" *


Please choose from 1 - "Strongly Agree", 2 - "Agree", 3 - "Neutral", 4 - "Disagree", 5 - "Strongly Disagree"
1 2 3 4 5

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

Do you identify your favourite Brand with your favourite Celebrity? *

Yes

No

Page 49 of 70
Would you still buy your favourite brand if your favourite star did not endorse it? *

Yes

No

Maybe

My favourite star endorsing a brand makes... *


Please choose the statement you agree with the most

The Brand more trustworthy / credible

The Brand stand out in the clutter / makes the brand different from other brands in the market

It impossible for me to buy another brand

Me emotionally connect to the brand

Name 1 brand and the celebrity (cricket or movie star) who has endorsed the products for any 3 product /
service categories: *
Eg: Cola / Soft Drinks - Fanta - Rani Mukherjee | Suggested Categories: Bank / Financial Services, Automobiles - Car
/ Bikes, Soap, Soft Drinks, Alcohol, Cosmetics, Clothes, Computers

Who would you say is the MOST POPULAR Celebrity in India? *

It could be a cricketer, sportsperson, film star or any other famous Indian celebrity

Page 50 of 70
Annexure 2 - Survey Results:

Primary Survey Details: Total Respondents: 74 (Out of which  Others: 70%, NMIMS Students: 30%)

Mode: Internet Based Quantitative Structured Questionnaire

1. Demographic Profile of Respondents


Age
Age

25 - 30 years 28.17%

21 - 25 years 45.07%
Age

15 - 20 years 8.45%

> 30 years 18.31%

0 10 20 30 40 50

Percent
Gender
Gender

Female
Male

35.21%

64.79%

Page 51 of 70
Occupation
Occupation

Student 56.34%

Service / Employed 36.62%


Occupation

Self Employed
2.82%

Other
2.82%

Business
1.41%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Percent
Location
Location

Other - India 7.04%

NCR Region 9.86%

Mumbai 32.39%
Location

Kolkata 23.94%

International 7.04%

Hyderabad 7.04%

Bangalore 12.68%

0 10 20 30 40

Percent
Page 52 of 70
2. Cricket Following
Do you follow the Indian Cricket Team?
Do you follow the Indian Cricket Team?

No
Sometimes
Yes

14.08%

56.34% 29.58%

What version of cricket do you like the best?


What version of Cricket do you like the best?
What version of cricket do you like the best?

Test Matches 9.86%

T20 50.7%

One Day Internationals 39.44%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Percent

Page 53 of 70
Who is your favourite cricketer?
Who is your Favourite Cricketer?

40

30
Percent

20

33.8%
30.99%

10
16.9%

9.86%
5.63%
2.82%
0
o you try and catch your favourite cricket star play at the STADIUM when
Gautam Irfan Pathan MS Dhoni No one Others Sachin
cricket is played in your city?
Gambhir Tendulkar

Who is your favourite cricketer?


Do you try and catch your favourite cricket star play at the Stadium when cricket is played in your city?

No
Yes

36.62%

63.38%

Page 54 of 70
3. Movie Following
Do you like watching films?
Do you like watching films?

Sometimes
Yes

14.08%

85.92%

What sort of movies do you prefer?


What sort of movies do you prefer watching?
What sort of movies do you prefer?

Regional Cinema
2.82%

Hollywood Hits 54.93%

Bollywood Blockbusters 42.25%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Percent

Page 55 of 70
Who is favourite Bollywood (Hindi Film) Star?
Who is your favourite Bollywood (Hindi Film) star?

30

25

20
Percent

15

25.35%

21.13%
10

14.08%
11.27%
5 9.86% 9.86%

5.63%
2.82%
0
Aamir Khan Amitabh None Other - Art Other - Other - Shah Rukh Yesteryear
Bachchan Film Actor Present Present Khan Matinee
Hero Heroine Star

4. Celebrity Connect:
Who is favourite Bollywood (Hindi Film) Star?
Whose poster or desktop wallpaper would you consider putting up?
Whose poster or desktop wallpaper would you consider putting up?

50

40
Percent

30

49.3%

20

28.17%

10

11.27%
5.63% 5.63%
0
None at all Others Some Other Your Favourite Your Favourite
Celbrity Cricketer - named Movie Star - Name
above Above

Whose poster or desktop wallpaper would you consider putting up?


Page 56 of 70
Who is your favourite celebrity?
Who is your Favourite Celebrity?

Shah Rukh Khan 12.68%


Who is your favourite celebrity?

Sachin Tendulkar 9.86%

Others 9.86%

Other - Present Hero 12.68%

Other - Cricketer 8.45%

None 2.82%

International Celebrity 28.17%

Amitabh Bachchan 5.63%

Aamir Khan 9.86%

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Percent
My favourite celebrity (named above) is...
 My favourite celebrity named above is…

50

40
Percent

30

46.48%

20

28.17%

10
14.08%
11.27%

0
A youth icon Just a great Someone whom I look The face of my
sportsperson / actor / up to / admire and want generation.
performer to be like

My favourite celebrity (named above) is...


Page 57 of 70
Who would you say is the MOST POPULAR Celebrity in India?
 Who would you say is the most popular celebrity in India?
Who would you say is the MOST POPULAR

Shah Rukh Khan 32.39%

Sachin Tendulkar 18.31%


Celebrity in India?

Other Movie Star 8.45%

Other 4.23%

MS Dhoni 7.04%

Don't know 1.41%

Cricketer 2.82%

Amitabh Bachchan 25.35%

0 10 20 30 40

Percent
Do you think it5.isCelebrity
alright Endorsement
for your favourite cricket star / filmstar to endorse
brands?
 Do you think it is alright for your favourite cricket star / film star to endorse brands?

No
Yes

8.45%

91.55%

Page 58 of 70
Which brand do you think should your favourite celebrity endorse?
 Which brand do you think your favourite celebrity should endorse?
Which brand do you think should your favourite

Watch
Telecom
Sports/ Shoes
Sports / Shoes 11.27%

Soft Drink 9.86%


celebrity endorse?

Social Cause
Premium Product 12.68%

Perfume
Others
Mint
Hi Tech
Cars
Can't Say
Bikes
Apparel 14.08%

0 5 10 15 20

Percent

6. Celebrity Emotional Connect:


If your favourite star is performing really well , you…
 If your favourite star is performing really well, you…

60

50

40
Percent

30

50.7%

20

23.94%
10 18.31%

7.04%
0
Are euphoric - very Are happy he is doing Celebrate wildly (eg: Would like to tell anyone
happy his job well – that’s it! burst crackers on the you meet about it
streets)

If your favourite star is performing really well , you…


Page 59 of 70
If your favourite cricketer is injured or unavailable for a match or series, would
you
 If your favourite cricketer is injured or still watch
unavailable the match?
for a match or series, would you still watch the game?

50

40
Percent

30

42.25%
20
33.8%

10
16.9%

7.04%

0
No, it is not worth Yes, but I would Yes, but my interest Yes, it does not affect
watching a match if he defintely miss watching level would be lower me since cricket is a
doesn’t play him play team sport
If your
If your favourite
favourite cricketer
cricketer is is not performing
injured well in for
or unavailable a match, you…
a match or series,
 If your favourite cricketer is not performing well in a match, you…
would you still watch the match?

You “swear” at the cricketer for his bad


5.63%
performance
If your favourite cricketer is not performing well in a match,

Understand, because that is the very nature of


49.3%
sports

Stop watching the game 8.45%


you…

Offer advice to others watching the game with


you on what the cricketer should be doing 2.82%

Lament that he is distracted because he is “busy


5.63%
making advertisements”

Don’t mind as long the team does well 18.31%

Don’t do anything – after all it is just a game 9.86%

0 10 20 30 40 50

Percent

Page 60 of 70
If your favourite movie star does not have a movie releasing for a while, you…
 If your favourite movie star does not have a movie releasing for a while, you…

50

40
Percent

30

45.07%
20
36.62%

10
16.9%

0 1.41%

Don’t watch movies Watch other movies – Watch other movies – Watch other movies – it
featuring other movie but follow all the but hope his/her movie makes no difference to
stars news/gossip on your releases soon you
favourite movie star
closely
When a movie of your favourite movie star releases, you…
 When a movieIfof
your
yourfavourite
favourite movie starreleases,
movie star does not have a movie releasing for a while, you…
you…

60

50

40
Percent

30
52.11%

20 39.44%

10

7.04%
0 1.41%

Are anxious to watch it Don’t mind paying extra Read all the reviews Watch the movie more
as soon as you can to watch it “first day and watch it only if it than once
first show” and urge has got a good rating
others to watch it.

When a movie of your favourite movie star releases, you…

Page 61 of 70
If you come to know that your favourite celebrity is coming to your town for a
promotional visit (eg: to inaugurate a mall) , you would:
 If you come to know that your favourite celebrity is coming to your town for a promotional visit, you would…
If you come to know that your favourite celebrity is coming to your town...

Wish you could go... 11.27%

Make it a point to go to the venue


7.04%
at any cost

Go to see the celebrity if you


could (eg: go if it was a holiday 28.17%
or you got passes)

Don’t go but read all about it in


28.17%
the newspapers

Don’t bother going – not worth


25.35%
the effort!

your favourite movie star’s latest release


0 has
5 associated
10 merchandise
15 20 for 25 30
sale, would you buy it? Percent
 If your favourite movie star’s latest release has associated merchandise for sale, would you buy it?

No
Yes

23.94%

76.06%

Page 62 of 70
hile watching 7.
TV, if your
Celebrity favourite cricketer or moviestar is featured in an
Advertisements
advertisement do you watch it attentively?
 While watching TV, if your favourite cricketer or movie star is featured in an advertisement, do you watch it
attentively?

No
Yes

19.72%

80.28%

Which of the following advertisements would you rather watch on Television?


Which of the following advertisements would you rather watch on TV?

40

30
Percent

20

32.39%

25.35%

10
16.9%
15.49%

9.86%

0
A Sprite ad with no Askhay Kumar in a Fido in a 7 Up Hrithik Roshan in a Ranbir Kapoor /
bakwaas Thums Up advertisement Coca Cola Dhoni and other
advertisement advertisement Team India stars in
the latest Pepsi
advertisement

Which of the following advertisements would you rather watch on Television?

Page 63 of 70
8. Brand Connect
Name a brand (any product / service) that you like that is also endorsed by
 Name a brand you like that is also
your favourite
endorsed star?
by your favourite star?
Name a brand (any product / service) that you like

Telecom 7.04%
that is also endorsed by your favourite star?

Sports / Shoes 7.04%

Soft Drink 30.99%

Premium Product 5.63%

Others 11.27%

None / Can't Say 11.27%

Hi Tech 1.41%

FMCG 9.86%

Cars 4.23%

Bike 4.23%

Apparel 7.04%

0 10 20 30

Percent
Do you consider yourself loyal to your favourite brand?
 Do you consider yourself loyal to your favourite brand?

40

30
Percent

20

33.8%
32.39%

10
15.49%

9.86%
8.45%

0
1 2 3 4 5

Do you consider yourself loyal to your favourite brand?


1 = very loyal … 5 = not loyal

Page 64 of 70
Would you consider buying a product just because your favourite star
endorses it?

Would you consider buying a product just because your favourite star endorses it?

No
Yes

14.08%

85.92%

On a scale of 1 – 5, how much of a fan of your favourite star are you?


On a scale of 1 – 5, how much of a fan are you of your favourite celebrity?

40

30
Percent

20

32.39%
29.58%

10
16.9%

11.27%
9.86%

0
1 2 3 4 5
(1 = Die Hard Fan …On
5 =aCasual
scaleFan)
of 1 – 5, how much of a fan of your favourite star are you?

Page 65 of 70
1= Strongly Agree, 2 = "I
Agree, 3 = Neutral,
would 4 = Disagree,
recommend my5 favourite
= Strongly Disagree
brand to others"
 “I would recommend my favourite brand to others”

40

30
Percent

20

33.8%
30.99%

10
18.31%

11.27%

5.63%

"If0my favourite brand is not available, I would buy another brand of a same
1 category" 2- eg: If your favourite
product / service 3 4 is Pepsi, you
brand 5 would /

"Iwould
wouldnot buy Cocamy
recommend Cola or Thums
favourite brandUp
to others"
 “If my favourite brand is not available, I would not buy another brand in the same category”

30
Percent

20

30.99%
28.17%

10
16.9%
15.49%

8.45%

0
1 2 3 4 5

"If my favourite brand is not available, I would buy another brand of a same
product / service category" - eg: If your favourite brand is Pepsi, you would /
would not buy Coca Cola or Thums Up

Page 66 of 70
"My favourite brand is more than just a product or service to me"
 “My favourite brand is more than just a product or service to me.” -

30
Percent

20

30.99%
29.58%

10
15.49%
14.08%

9.86%

0
1 2 3 4 5

"My favourite brand is more than just a product or service to me"


My favourite brand is meant to be used by people like me"
 “My favourite brand is meant to be used by people like me.”

40

30
Percent

20 39.44%

26.76%

10
15.49% 15.49%

2.82%
0
1 2 3 4 5

My favourite brand is meant to be used by people like me"


Page 67 of 70
"My favourite brand is a well known successful brand"
 “My favourite brand is a well known successful brand.”

50

40

30
Percent

20 40.85%
35.21%

10 19.72%

4.23%
0
1 2 3 4

"My favourite brand is a well known successful brand"


Do you identify your favourite
9. Celebrity-Brand Brand
Connect with your favourite Celebrity?
Do you identify your favourite brand with your favourite celebrity?

No
Yes

39.44%

60.56%

Page 68 of 70
Would you still buy your favourite brand if your favourite star did not endorse
it?

 Would you still buy your favourite brand if your favourite star did not endorse it?

Maybe
No
Yes

21.13%

4.23%

74.65%

Would you buy some other brand in the same category if your favourite star
started endorsing it?
 Would you buy some other brand in the same category if your favourite star started endorsing it?

Maybe
No
Yes

7.04%

40.85%

52.11%

Page 69 of 70
My favourite star endorsing a brand makes it...
 My favourite star endorsing a brand, makes it…

60

50

40
Percent

30

50.7%

20

28.17%

10
15.49%

5.63%
0
Emotionally connect to Impossible for me to buy More trustworthy / Stand out in the clutter /
the brand another brand credible makes the brand
different from other
brands in the market

My favourite star endorsing a brand makes it...

Page 70 of 70

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